MN Wild 2017-18 Official Thread

In other hockey playoff news…

– Is anyone else enjoying watching the Caps / CBJ series? This has been a total dogfight every minute of every period and the Caps keep finding a way to lose. It’s amazing to me that Ovechkin can score from anyplace on the ice at any time, unless it’s overtime. Then he can’t find his stick with both hands.

Caps could still come back, of course. They better come out with the buttskies on fire the next game.

– Pens vs Flyers – I love watching the Flyers get beat. Doesn’t matter to me by who. I have a lot of admiration for Crosby and the Pens organization, they have a whole different set of gears reserved just for the playoffs.

Grouse

It’s amazing how a stacked team like the caps keep losing. Multiple superstars and still nothing to show for it. All the huberty backers must be proud.

They could use another superstar.

Did you see that slap shot that Nick Foligno took to the face? Lots of blood. But like any good hockey player he came back. It’s on YouTube. Also I saw on Instagram during the Wilds second game when Laine scored he used his stick like a fiddle as he skated past the Wilds bench. Back in the day Boogaard would have taken care of that.
DT

The last time I remember a bench taunt like that Bertuzzi was telling the Wild bench to get out ther golf clubs.

Notice he’s not looking at the bench because he’s a puss. And an ugly one at that.

I like a little gamesmanship, but lets just them get their head out of the game and take stupid penalties and punish them on the PP. Happened in game 3. Honestly the refs have been inconsistent at best.
I don’t care if they call a tight game, just call it consistent and that hasn’t been what I have been seeing thus far. I’ve only watched the 3rd game, the other 2 were on the radio, have they had the same refs all series?

I’ve yet to see any wild player finish a check on Laine… Yes he’s big, but he’s a scorer and they don’t like being hit…

It just boggles me how we turn away from finishing checks… Ask Granlund and Spurgeon if they like what the Jets do to them…

deertracker wrote:

Also I saw on Instagram during the Wilds second game when Laine scored he used his stick like a fiddle as he skated past the Wilds bench.

This is where the Wild’s lame, “Minnesota nice” game experience people really hurt the team. If Laine had done that to Nashville’s bench, Nashville’s arena crew would have been playing violin music after every Preads goal for the rest of the series.

The Wild used to do fun stuff to the opposing fans like the Hoser Cam every time the Jets were in town. Apparently some lameass killjoy on the Wild staff thought this was unbecoming of the game of hockey and put a stop to all that fun.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

It just boggles me how we turn away from finishing checks… Ask Granlund and Spurgeon if they like what the Jets do to them…

I think that was one of the keys to the win on Sunday. The Jets can’t resist the big hit. While they were over trying to grind the Wild into the boards, the Wild were pounding in the goals from the middle of the ice and on line rushes that the Jets are too slow to handle.

I’m with you, I like to see the Jets take some hits, but I think we tried to play thier game in G1 and G2 and look where it got us?

The only place the Jets are clearly outplaying us is is in the hit count. They are very venerable from the center of the ice and they have an inch thin scoring depth. Keep their #1 line pinned in the D zone and score goals from the other lines.

Also if we want to make the Jets feel the pain, keep Dumba firing artillery shells from the point. Go ahead and block ’em Laine. If you’re man enough. This might hurt a little.

Grouse

JoeMX1825 wrote:

It just boggles me how we turn away from finishing checks…

I almost forgot checking was a part of the game?! In a weird way, it was almost refreshing to see all the checking even though it was us getting our butts kicked.

The Wild need to find a better balance on this. Yes, you need skill and finesse guys, but you also need to knock someone on their rear end once in awhile.

That’s why I’m excited to see guys like Seeler and (hopefully) Greenway coming up. I’m done waiting for Coyle….. he’s too soft

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

The Wild used to do fun stuff to the opposing fans like the Hoser Cam every time the Jets were in town. Apparently some lameass killjoy on the Wild staff thought this was unbecoming of the game of hockey and put a stop to all that fun.

How about putting Yukon Cornelius on the jumbo-tron next to Benn

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

This is where the Wild’s lame, “Minnesota nice” game experience people really hurt the team. If Laine had done that to Nashville’s bench, Nashville’s arena crew would have been playing violin music after every Preads goal for the rest of the series.

I totally agree with this and was thinking the exact same thing the other day. I would go a step further and say I think it can unintentionally infiltrate the team itself. Hard to win championships with a ‘MN Nice’ attitude.

Plus I’m getting sick of the lame Prince song when we score a goal.

It’s not that easy to hit a guy like Laine. You try to hit a guy you can’t even catch and you’ll find yourself down another goal pretty quick.

Kind of like how guys defend Patrick Kane. You give them space because that is better than trying to play him tight and have him dance around you.

Kane is shifty and fast, Laine is neither, he has ungodly hands and an incredible release and shot, but he’s European, besides Peter Forsberg, they don’t like to take hits… Yes, I realize he’s huge, but there have been many many chances to simply finish the check on him and instead we turn away… It’s not about rocking the player with a big hit, it’s about putting the idea in his head that everytime he touches the puck, he’s going to pay for it, after a few games they start getting alligator arms for passes and give the puck up a little quicker (watch Grandlund & Zucker tonight, you’ll see it every now & again…)

Seeler did a good job of shutting down Laine and giving him a few shots in game 3. There was one sequence Laine couldn’t even get his stick on the ice in front of the net. The Wild then got the puck out of the zone and Laine gave him a two hand cross check to the middle of the back as Seeler went off.
Big game tonight. Undoubtedly the Jets should play better, but honestly the pressure is all on them being the higher seed.
If we can get this one the tide has certainly shifted in favor of the Wild.

Red hot Parise out with fractured sternum. Is this real life?

unreal…maybe Ennis can now earn his paycheck? we’ll get Parise back in late Round 3

at least he didn’t collide with a teammate in practice (Philly loses Shawn Couturier)

tswoboda wrote:

Red hot Parise out with fractured sternum. Is this real life?

All too real. Same crap, over and over again.

lindyrig79 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Red hot Parise out with fractured sternum. Is this real life?

All too real. Same crap, over and over again.

I don’t believe in curses, but my word it never ends. Good luck putting lines together Bruce.

basseyes wrote:

Good luck putting lines together Bruce.

Insert Ennis into Parise’s spot. Enzo has had his best games when in a top 6 role. More importantly the 3rd and 4th lines have been good so I don’t want to see them broken up. My realistic guess is that Coyle gets bumped up to Koivu’s line and Ennis plays with greenway and Cullen. Can pretty much guarantee the 4th line won’t be touched.

Be nice if Coyle played up to his potential tonight.

For those of you itching to the a Wild team without Parise and Suter, here’s your golden opportunity.

WTF!?

Ok, someone needs to kick Morrisey’s azz after that cross check to Staal’s head. That sh/t is not cool.

Unreal!

Wild’s season is hanging by a thread. C’mon boys, dig deep.

lindyrig79 wrote:

Wild’s season is hanging by a thread. C’mon boys, dig deep.

Stick a fork in them.

The Wild simply don’t show up in the playoffs. Period.

Really impressive nhl. How a player is allowed to continue to play after a for check to the face, unbelievable and unacceptable. That should be an immediate expulsion from a game, period, and I don’t give a rat’s a$$ about the logistics of it. What a disgusting league and that was horse crap. Especially when the player had an assist on the first goal minutes later. No other professional sports league would have allowed that player to finish the game after something like that, no matter if the refs on the ice saw it in real time or not.